The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-07
ROMANCE OF A NUN.
Peculiar History of Yankton Physi-
clan and His Wife.

| Cldu ana his w lAS.
| Among the first buildings erected here,
writes the Yanllton correspondent of the
Chicago Herald, was the rather rickety
brick structure that is now occupied by the
Indian school. In and around the square,
stitf-looking building hangs romance as
rich in detail, and as unique as any ever
woven by the pen of Washington Irving, or
Willlie Collins. Several years ago this
structure was occupied as a Roman Catholic
Seminary, run under the auspices of the
Sisters of Mercy. AT the head of the eStab-
! llshment was a. devout nun.
known as Sister Mary Paul, who was not
only splendid musician and an accom-
| plished linguist, but she possessed more than
| ordinary managerial ability. Sister Mary
| Paul, together with her other charming
| qualities, possessed a wonderful beauty Of
face and form, and her beautiful face dark
eyes and dropping lashes, and her well
rounded and gracefully nodded figure, never
showed to better advantage than when she
| appeared on the streets of YanktOn clad in
the peculiar black habit of the order She
was young, but twenty-five summers had
passed over her pretty head, and her rosy
cheeks and sparkling eyes told the story Of
| health and a VivaciouS disposition
| A few months before Sister Mary made
/
/ physician came to Yankton and hung out
| his single to sway in the breezeS of the
Missouri valley an attract the eye of suffer
| ing humanity. He was a tall, broad
shouldered, stout-limbed, athletic-looking
| fellow, quarter of a century old, with a
dark, curly beard, clean-cut features, and
| eyes black as night and full of fire He was
handsome man and a king socially. He
had been educated at the best schools of
| Europe and had graduated from a famous
school of physics in st. Petersburg, Russia,
where he was born of wealthy parents
| Yankton society opened its arms and closed
them around the young physician with an
affectionate hug. He soon fell into a
profitable practice that enabled him to live
in splendid style. V. Seblakin Ross, for
this was the name he gave to his most init
mate friends, told a story of his early life
that was tinged with romance.
He was the only son of a leading physi-
clan of st. Peter sburg, and was given the
most thorough education III medicine OBJ
tainable in the institutions of all Europe
In his capacity as physician Ross was fire.
| quently called to the seminary, and during
| his visits there frequently met Sister Mary
Paul, whose beauty touched the fancy of the
handsome physician, and when, few weeks
| after he had become acquainted with her, he
asked her to throw off her habit and become
his wife, no was gratif1ed to loarn that his
| love was reciprocated. though the woman at
| first declined to leave the order and marry
him, But love levels all barriers, and under
the pretense of going to give lessons in en-
| broidery, Sister Mary got to making fire.
quent calls on lady friend down town who
was in the secret, and would there meet her
lover who never lost an opportunity to urge
her to become his wife. These clandestine
meetings were kept up for several months,
| until at last, unable longer to resist the
ardent pleadings of her sutton, Sister Mary
| yielded to his request, but insisted that their
marriage should be kept secret until she
| chose to make it known to her sisters at the
| convent
| With this understanding, they were Sc
| cretly married at the house of Sister Mary's
friend by Presbyterian clergyman, who
| considerably asked none but the stereo-
typed questions. Ross had won the prize
and he was satisfied, but his wife, who was
obliged to lead dual life, went back to the
convent with anything but a calm CON
science. She held out for three months,
when one day she surprised her sisters by
| not returning from her usual afternoon
walk down town, and when, upon inveStiga-
| ton, she was traced to a suit of handsome
| ly furnished rooms, where she was installed
as the wife of the leading physician in the
| city, there was a sensation that shook the
| society of Yankton to its very foundation.
Sister Mary-now publicly Mrs. V. Sebla-
| kin RoSs-looked serenely on and shook in
| the faces of the gosSlpS her proofs of honor
able marriage. Mrs. Ross was excommu-
nicated from the church, but there were
other churches in Yankton glad to receive
| her after the affair was explained. To-day
| DR.. Ross and his handsome wife walk with
| the best society and are apparently living
| the happiest of lives.